Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,
this post should take five minutes to eight minutes to read from start to finish.
This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in February 2013, and it is called "Live Your Life with Purpose" by Sister Janie Penfield. This post is part three. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.
Sister Penfield has mentioned the following;
"How can we allocate our time, talents, and resources to align with our purpose and stay on course? We can do it through goals. I have a lot of goals that aren’t the New Year’s type of goals. ... I have the goal of being worthy of eternal life with my Father in Heaven and with my family.
I have the goal of making my earthly and my heavenly parents proud because I have heeded their counsel and made the gospel of Jesus Christ an integral part of my life. ... Your goals may be similar to mine. These are our individual course markings. They are the significant choices in our lives that allow us to recognize that we are in alignment with our Father in Heaven.
He has given us the personal guidance and direction we need to accomplish our goals. The companionship of the Holy Ghost provides us with unlimited personal revelation, direction, comfort, strength, and guidance from God. Humility and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are essential to being worthy of personal revelation and answers to our prayers.
All answers do not come when we ask for them. ... President Boyd K. Packer tells us that “[we] must learn to seek the power and direction that is available to [us], and then follow that course no matter what” (“How to Survive in Enemy Territory,” Ensign, October 2012, 29).
... We must choose to be wise and take the Holy Spirit for our guide. We can benefit from the direction of the Holy Ghost in everything we do. ... Prayer is our communication piece with our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost is His communication piece with us. We must keep the line open by seeking out the Father in prayer and by living worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship.
President Packer also taught: [We] can always have a direct line of communication with [our] Father in Heaven. Do not allow the adversary to convince you that no one is listening on the other end. Your prayers are always heard. You are never alone! [“How to Survive,” 29]
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| "Find a purpose in life so big it will challenge every capacity to be at your best." - David O Mckay. |
Staying on Course
... If we are to reach our intended destination, we must pay attention to the big and the small course markings. ... If we are not committed to our course and purpose, we will move with the push and pull of the world, away from the path that leads us to return to our Father in Heaven.
We must be committed, and we must do all that we can to stay the course. We must look to the prophets to learn how to read the course’s legend to ensure that we stay firmly planted on the strait and narrow path, holding onto the iron rod with both hands.
... What distracted us is far less important than how we got off course. It happened so subtly that we didn’t notice until we were off the course not right next to it or parallel to it, but off. So it is with the strait and narrow path.
At one point in our lives we have two feet firmly planted on it. With a change of roommates or friends, a new girl- or boyfriend, a new city, a new schedule, or even a new job, we can slowly start moving to the path’s edge until we realize that we are doing things we never imagined doing: we haven’t prayed for days or weeks, we pass on spiritual things, our scriptures are covered in layers of dust, or so many other things happen that indicate we haven’t been feeding our testimony the nourishment it needs.
Most of the time we cannot pinpoint what changed in our life, but we know our testimony isn’t as firm as it once was. Maybe we can’t even remember why we keep the commandments. But there are many things we can do to ensure that we stay on course on the strait and narrow path. ... We need to make sure we are constantly feeding ourselves spiritually from the scriptures. Do you immerse yourself in the scriptures?
Mother Teresa and Alma both reminded us of the power of small acts in our lives such as prayer, scripture study, and charity. Mother Teresa said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies” (In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers [Novato, California: New World Library, 1997], 15). Alma taught:
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. . . . And by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. [Alma 37:6–7]
There are no small things, because combined, they are our strength and they will bring about our salvation! There are a few other seemingly “small” things that will have a great impact on our ability to stay true to our purpose. One of these seemingly small things is our friends. Who do we choose to associate with? Who do we choose to date? To marry? To seek advice from and counsel with? To play and study with?
President Thomas S. Monson said, “Choose your friends with caution” (“Decisions Determine Destiny”). We must cautiously choose who we allow to have a great impact on our lives. We do many “small” things with our friends. ... We all have companions in our time on earth. They may be siblings, friends, spouses, missionary companions, and even strangers who observe us or briefly interact with us.
Are you the true friend you should be to those you are with, and are they the friends they should be for you? Do your friends make it easier for you to live the gospel or not? Do they help you draw closer to the Spirit, even in small degrees? Do they leave you better than they found you, and you them?
... Maintaining our testimony and staying on course will require righteousness and regular repentance. It will require great faith. We must be spiritually strong. We must live worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship. ... We must delve into the scriptures to know what to do in times of trial, how to help others, and how to answer our questions.
The answers are in them. ... By studying the scriptures we develop our faith and learn about the Savior, His teachings, the commandments, our Father, and the plan of salvation. Studying the scriptures will keep us on course.
President Thomas S. Monson has given us exceptional counsel for how to stay on course: Obey the laws of God. They are given to us by a loving Heavenly Father. When they are obeyed, our lives will be more fulfilling, less complicated. Our challenges and problems will be easier to bear. We will receive the Lord’s promised blessings.
... Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice which testifies of truth. [“Believe, Obey, and Endure,” Ensign, May 2012, 128, 129] We need to open our hearts to that special voice, as President Monson said.
The Holy Ghost is the only companion of constancy. All of the others will leave us even if only temporarily to run errands, go to class, or go to work for the day. The Holy Ghost will be a constant presence in our lives if we will live worthily. We control the level of influence He has in our lives.
Do we listen to or ignore Him? Do we act or relax? Do we provide an environment that will allow the Holy Ghost to remain with us? Do we remove the “worldly habits, customs, and traditions” from our lives (Robert D. Hales, “Being a More Christian Christian,” Ensign, November 2012, 90)?
... While the challenges of each day do not fade with each sunset, I know that if we can do as the prophets have counseled us, we will be able to continue moving forward on the strait and narrow path. I also know that this path will lead us to eternal life - a life worth every amount of effort required to get there.
If we will firmly establish the purpose of our life and stay the course that leads us to it, we will live in the house the Lord has prepared for us “among the mansions of [our] Father” (Ether 12:32). Let Heavenly Father guide and direct you. Live your life with purpose. ..."
If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
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